Most of those come for one of two reasons: Either he bites on the fake and is too slow to recover, or the shooter shoots over him and he doesnt have the ups to challenge it. He applies every bit of failing athleticism he has all the time. Speed is important; a speedy point guard is better able to create separation and space off the dribble, giving themselves room to work. Los Angeles Lakers (1979-91, 1995-96), Honors Even the fastest point guards tend to get bottled up. Do they get their hands up and use their length? Thats the advantage of the scouting portion. (As an aside, in the slides, you will only see the original metric value, not the weighted number to determine the WAM. While Gregg Popovich and his brilliant system deserve a lot of the credit, Tony is a Finals MVP and is a multiple NBA champion who deserves to be recognised for his role in the legendary Spurs dynasty. You can look at why things happen and offset the misleading things. He uses his speed well, as long as hes engaged in the game. 18.4 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 7.5APG, .375 FG%, The player Its probably no coincidence that Stephen Currys defense took a giant step forward this season playing alongside Jack, and you might see a similar progression from Kyrie Irving next year. The ripple effect of that was that every single Bull had a worse defensive rating with Boozer than when playing with Gibson. Apart from that, he seems to do what hes supposed to be doing when hes away from the ball. 1. After ball-handling, the most important areas of the game for a point guard are passing and scoring. But hes just not very strong. However, the other side of the ball cant be overlooked because as the saying goes: defense wins championships.. Pass-first points of the past have given way to dynamic creators who can score as well as set up teammates. Dikembe Mutombo 7. He is tremendous at using that muscle to his advantage, too. Players Stats: 14.1 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 5.0 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.6 BPG, Honors: 1978-1979 Finals MVP, 5x All-Star, 9x All-Defense Selection, 2x All-NBA Team Selection, Hall of Famer. Kyle Lowry has exceptional speed and athleticism. Williams needs to do a better job of forcing opponents out of the middle and into the strong side of his defense, but he tends to fall straight back instead, letting them into the lane, which allows for easy scores. Bledsoe runs through his rotations, but he rounds them off or overruns them. 18.9 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 6.1 APG, .490 FG%, The player However, a good jump shot and the ability to score off a drive to the basket are still valuable skills. This year, without Rose, the Bulls were 23rd, at 21.0 points per game. But Gary Payton did as a member of the Seattle Supersonics. Therefore, a lower score is superior. Not only is Damian Lillard one of the most exciting players in the game today, he makes a strong case as one of the best point guards in NBA history. As a point guard, Frazier was one of the greatest in NBA history. Lin is a mixed bag when it comes to help defense. Sounds great, right? Do players go under picks when they should go over them? Other point guards who have been named NBA MVP include Bob Cousy, Oscar Robertson, Allen Iverson, Derrick Rose, and Russell Westbrook, and two-time winners Steve Nash and Stephen Curry. For example, the Spurs absolutely ate him alive in the playoffs with Tony Parker, who averaged 24.5 points for the series. Adande, Brad Doolittle, Tom Haberstroh and Kevin Pelton are NBA writers for ESPN.com. Six blind men all go to see an elephant which they'venever encountered before. While the Clippers were better when Paul was on the bench, it wasnt because he was on the bench. A point guard will often use their ability to score in order to augment their effectiveness as a decision-maker and playmaker. I gave Paul the highest possible score here to offset the total ineptness of the coaching staff, and the frontcourt help he got last season, but he would have a high score regardless. Kevin Garnett 8. He does a poor job of defending the spot-up, surrendering 1.07 points per play. That makes sense since Parker has assumed the primary responsibility on offense and theres no reason to wear himself out playing defense. The classic definition of a point guard, orchestrating offense and shooting when necessary. He literally may be the least athletic guard in the Association. 10-time All-Star, six-time All-NBA selection, nine-time All-D selection, co-Rookie of the Year (1994-95), Career stats That can create an illusion of great defense where there is none. That had the effect of distorting Pauls on/off numbers. On the other, he so rarely allows his opponent to get past him that he doesnt need to rely on it either. The second-highest regulation scoring output of the 3-point era was the culmination . 6 (1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963), Career stats Averaging 1.5 steals per game, Wade could block transition shots as well with the best of them. Over the next four weeks, well unveil the rankings for the other four positions. A defensive point guard will also pressure opponents in passing lanes in an attempt to generate steals and scoring opportunities for their own team. Watching video on Lin gave me one impression that stood out above everything else: his awareness of where he was on the court and where he needed to be. He doesnt use the shortest angles when running under picks, but he takes path of least resistance instead. By the time he was done, he had racked up 10 All-Star appearances, nine All-Defense selections, six All-NBA . When he tries, Lowry can be a solid defensive player, but that whole when he tries qualifier is pretty significant. In his single season with the Wizards, the former NBA MVP averaged a triple-double (again), and he was a big reason why Washington made the playoffs after a rough start to the season. -- Micah Adams, No one was more dynamic, or magical, with the ball in the open court than Earvin Johnson. Then our ESPN expert panel voted on thousands of head-to-head matchups, with voting based on both peak performance and career value. Not everything about a players value can be seen even through advanced stats, or even while hes on the court. Damian Lillard's nuclear 71-point explosion Sunday night was jaw-dropping and somehow not all that surprising. When going against point guards who have a respectable jump shot, that becomes problematic. That earned him the nickname Mr. Because he is the one who touches the basketball first on every possession, the NBAs point guard has long been considered its most vital position. Watching Parker play defense for a while, particularly zooming in on the pick-and-roll plays, his impressive court awareness stands out. Two-time All-Defensive First Team Four-time All-Star Before having his career derailed by drug use, Micheal Ray Richardson was one of the league's most feared defensive point. FOXSports.com - Best all-time point guards at the Wayback Machine (archived July 12, 2005), accessed 2008-02-09 This page was last edited on 1 March 2023, at 17:58 . His ability to score and create plays made him an NBA superstar. In many cases, I looked at their combine results. He also shows poor awareness at times, getting surprised by picks as if the setter had just popped up from out of the floor like a Whac-A-Mole. If you just look at his measurables, Chris Paul is not impressive. Westbrooks Synergy numbers on the pick-and-roll (.75) and isolation (.7) suggest hes better than he actually is. How hard do they fight through them? Top 10 Point Guards of All Time Best NBA Point Guards, NBA and other Best Basketball Leagues in the World, Facebook and Twitter takedown hackers targeting Ukraine political figures and military officials via fake accounts, Britney Spears called out Fans that She felt Sick to her stomach after Family plans Intervention, Stephen tWitch Boss passed away intestate, wife Allison Holker has filed Estate Control. Whatever else you want to say about Brandon Knight, just dont say he never tries. He arguably makes more plays on his feet, both offensively and defensively, than anyone else. Jeremy Lin is not one of the faster point guards in the NBA, and hes not particularly quick either. He benefits tremendously from help defense as previously mentioned, but that doesnt mean he doesnt also provide help defense. He could launch it from 30 feet or more with ease. He might have Silly Putty for a father. You just dont see him make the wrong plays. Conley is inconsistent in how he applies effort on the court. Three-time MVP (1986-87, 1988-89, 1989-90), three-time Finals MVP, 12-time All-Star, 10-time All-NBA selection, Hall of Fame, Championships Rushmore of greatest postseason performances in league history. As the primary decision-maker for a team, a point guard's passing ability determines how well a point guard is able to put their decision into play. Bill Russell 3. Point guards are expected to be vocal floor leaders. The bulk of his thefts came by stealing the dribble, not by shooting the passing lanes. The defensive stats arent a good way to determine the totality of defense, but they are a factor and shouldnt be ignored. Additionally, the 10-time All-Star and Hall of Famer was an impressive defensive player in his own right. The point guard is positioned on the perimeter of the play, so as to have the best view of the action. -- Adande, Possessed incredible court vision and creativity, all while orchestrating the frenetic game pace of his era. The problem is he doesnt use that height or strength as well as youd like to see. When hes not getting wrapped up, he plays the pick-and-roll well. Gary Payton. He averaged 18.4 points, 7.5 assists and 5.2 rebounds per game. Chasing down balls, hell reach from behind and disrupt the dribble. Boston Celtics (1950-1963), Cincinnati Royals (1969-70), Honors When he went up and challenged DeAndre Jordan, and then got blown up, the entire basketball world acted like theyd just seen the greatest basketball play ever. What he gives up at the point of attack, he makes up for with his team defense. . Along with leadership and a general basketball acumen, ball-handling is a skill of great importance to a point guard. Thats pretty much what you see with Conley. Stats dont tell the whole story and our eyes often only confirm what we already know. Im cheating a little here. His quick feet give him tremendous lateral movement. As a result, opponents shot 42.9 percent from deep against him in the pick-and-roll. Rose is arguably the most athletic point guard in the league, though Russell Westbrook could present a challenge. Once he had the ball on the fastbreak, The Flash was gone. The official cause of death of Flashdance singer Irene Cara has been determined. For his time with the Phoenix Suns, Johnson is most known for his role alongside Charles Barkley. Michael Jordan 10. Always free! They must also be able to adapt to what the defense is allowing and must control the pace of the game. He does all those little things that dont show up in box scores. Hinrich has a bit more going for him in terms of size. He can be stagnant when his man doesnt have the ball. Then there was that kid who just read the assignment on the bus and got straight As. Probably no point guard in the league does a better job of recovering defensively than Rose does. There arent many point guards in the league who can match Roses pure size and strength. He uses his feet and body well, steering his man into the help defense when he knows hes not able to keep up. -- Adams, The fashion forerunner to Russell Westbrook. The more often he is the primary defender, the more likely he is to be responsible for guarding the player who is getting the most plays offensively. He spent his entire NBA career (19842003) as a point guard for the Utah Jazz, and the team made the playoffs in each of his 19 seasons. Paul, who was born on May 6, 1985, has long been regarded as one of the game's greatest point guards, a fact reinforced by his selection to the 75th Anniversary Team. And do they try and recover when they get beaten? How they moved laterally, closed out on shooters, and recovered after getting beaten were also taken into account. On the other hand, he was frequently bailing out whoever was playing shooting guard on numerous occasions. -- Pelton, No player his size, 6-foot-3, has ever bent defenses to his will as Curry does. One of the greatest rebounding guards of all time. They average the number of points a player gives up when he is the initial defender, and this is represented by defensive points per play. -- Doolittle, The great Knicks ball-movement offense started with him. He doesnt cheat in either direction, though. Two-time MVP (2004-05, 2005-06), eight-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA selection, Career stats Holiday knows what to do, but he doesnt always do it. His defensive usage was the highest of any player with at least 1,200 minutes. ALL-TIME #NBARANK, 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11-15 | 16-20 | 21-25, The player He lifted the Lakers, and transition basketball, to ethereal levels. The other metrics help alleviate the extremes because they also indicate what a players personal defense does. While no one always guards the best player, some players are much more likely to be guarding the other teams elite players, which makes them appear weaker defensively. Last season, when Rose was healthy early on, they gave up the thirdmost, 16.3 points. -- Rob Peterson, One can only imagine how impressive his career totals might have been if not for the HIV virus. He uses his length well when trying to close out on jumpers, utilizing all of his elevation and his full length. Jumping ability, body control and agility were all considered as well. Players Stats: 18.8 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 5.6 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.3 BPG, Honors: 2010-2011 MVP, 3x All-Star, 1x All-NBA Selection, 2008-2009 Rookie of the Year. He seemed to keep ahead of the play, moving to the next rotation a fraction of a second before the play even developed in that direction. If he didnt retire at 34, its interesting to see where Cousy could have landed all-time as he averaged 3.8 DWS per season. Players Stats: 18.8 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 7.4 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.1 BPG, Honors: 6x All-Star, 5x All-NBA Selection, 1972-1973 Scoring Champion, Hall of Famer. With both, its the combination of their size and speed that makes them so phenomenal. He simply doesnt have the same ability as the elite point guards to get up in the air, and that hinders his ability to defend the jump shot. But it seems like Paul is nutmegging and breaking opposing defenders ankles every game. Paradoxically tough on the court and flashy off of it, Frazier epitomized the '70s-era backcourt style in which roles were less defined. When it comes to intangibles, Chris Paul is the elite point guard in the league. He had absolutely no help backing him up, and that inflates his objective numbers. Greg Monroe has talent on the offensive side of the ball but not a whole lot on the defensive side. His helter-skelter wizziness has him flying around the court, and sometimes its good. Of course having book smarts doesnt preclude you from knowing what youre doing on the court either. Thats a pretty large difference, and it shows he is at his best when he can utilize his quickness, while at his worst when he has to use his strength. On the positive side, Rose does a decent job of understanding his role in a complex system. The same applies to any decent basketball argument (or any other kind, for that matter). Stephen Curry 4. It also helps him to have the second-most defensive plays per 36 minutes of any of the point guards on this list. According to Hoops Stats, in his MVP season, the Bulls gave up the fewest points to opposing point guards. While his pick-and-roll stats, according to Synergy, are excellent, at .68 points per play, half the time he seems to get bailed out by his frontcourt. Not Paul. 14.3 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 8.5 APG, .428 3P%, The player 19.5 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 11.2 APG, .520 FG%, The player So I saddled up my workhorse, Synergy, and watched an hour or two of each of the top 15 WAM scores playing defense. -- Pelton, If he had played with The Mailman or a defense as stout as the Pistons, he might have made a couple of Finals by now. Sportbrief has published an article about James Harden's age: stats, contract, family, dating, net worth in 2022 and more. The former professional basketball player was born on March 26, 1962, and is regarded as one of the best passing point guards. Players Stats: 15.5 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 5.6 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.1 BPG, Honors: 2006-2007 Finals MVP, 6x All-Star, 4x All-NBA Selection. Penny is deserving of a much better ranking just because he is such a gifted one. Conley looked away from Billups and was pointing vehemently to Paul, trying to tell Allen to get over there and cover him. He also uses that length to be one of the best shot-blocking point guards in the league. Tony Parker is one of the fastest players in the league if youre going by pure speed. Knight gets almost no help whatsoever from help defense. With his limited speed, he is always in full throttle and getting himself around the court, pestering whoever has the ball. The American former professional basketball player was born on August 9, 1928, and played point guard for the Boston Celtics from 1950 to 1963 and shortly for the Cincinnati Royals during the 196970 season. Hes only 63, which is relatively good size for a point guard, but he just seems bigger. Notably, several modern point guards have used a successful style of post play, a tactic usually practiced by much larger centers and forwards. As a result, hes been a member of the All-Defensive First Team four times and a member of the All-Defensive Second Team five times. Eric Bledsoe has a reputation as being both quick and fast, even for a point guard, but he rarely shows it on defense. (Most defenders let the opponent by more than half the time. The advantage of defensive rating is that it accounts for the things that dont show up in box scores. The disadvantage is that sometimes its not the player doing those things, and hes getting credit for someone elses great defense. Other individual metrics and team metrics thin out the impact of those factors. He just cant do anything about it. He fights through picks, going over them when he can and under them when he cant. An adamant multi-disciplinary journalist, Brian possesses the instincts that are comfortably intrigued by covering and writing the details as minor as the size of Kawhi Leonards hands and as significant as the Trends to watch out for in 2022. Went from dominating games strictly with his passing to making the fifth-most 3-pointers in NBA history. Thats 20th all-time, with Kidd being the only other guard above him. Were shooters able to shoot over them? In essence, hes athletic enough to do a respectable job of what hes asked to do. While he does benefit from help defense, its not as often as you might think. Let's see who has made it to the top 10 best point guards of all time. Some would argue that just because he went to Harvard, it doesnt mean he has a high basketball IQ, or that book intelligence isnt the same thing. He gets a higher score here than he technically deserves because he tries so hard. He is going to get beaten, without question. Stockton embodied a true point guard - an extension of the coach that ran the team's offense seamlessly. His shot-making and defense made him a top-tier point guard throughout his career. Sometimes it doesnt. They were combined and adjusted to cover a range roughly between 18 and 22. The scouting score was then combined with the WAM score to produce WAMS, with the scouting counting as one-third of the final score. Exciting feature: Check out news exactly for YOU find "Recommended for you" block and enjoy! A point guard that has enough ball-handling skill and quickness to be able to drive to the basket in a half-court set is also very valuable and considered by some to be a must for a successful offense. Hes not just ordinary quick, either; hes pesky-quick, with fast hands that dart in and take the ball out of the ball-handler's dribble with alarming frequency. Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum top NBA quotes of the week. The undisputed first great point guard, Cousy remains the only guard in NBA history to be named First-Team All-NBA in 10 straight seasons. As a result, he has received numerous awards, including the 'NBA Most Valuable Player' (MVP) award and the "PAC Player of the Year." The NBA is flush with dominant point guards. Having said that, he does play team defense, too, and he is part of the team. Robertson's offensive ability transformed the point guard stereotype from a passer and floor general to a scorer and offensive weapon. But one in 20 is egregiously bad.). The values for the various metrics which comprised the WAM score and scouting scores are also available on each slide. He may be the finest defensive guard ever because of his awareness and abilities on the defensive end. Ranking the best point guards of all time and selecting the top 10 point guards of all time are two of the most difficult things to do. Johnson had a knack for scoring against everyone and racked up impressive numbers throughout the course of his career. Kawhi Leonard 11. In case you missed it, Jason Kidd was tops on our point guard list with 75.1 defensive win shares, good for 11th all-time. He averages 1.8 steals per game. Scoring point guards typically look to score first, thus preventing teammates from getting the ball. Now hes in Phoenix, and well see how both he and Jeff Hornacek develop in their new roles. He was a 13-time NBA All-Star during the early half of the Celtics dynasty, winning six NBA championships during his 13-year tenure with the team. He bulls through picks well and is not afraid to go over them. Here he is. People that just do their job dont usually pitch in and help their co-workers. I doubt its much beyond his height. A decade of playing and a plethora of injuries havent helped him get any faster. Mentally subtract them from the rankings if you feel they shouldn'tbe included. When the game is on the line, you like to see players find fifth, but Lin never does.
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